Percy's Assassin
by writersblock159
Summary: Two immortal demigods Nathan and Andy have been living a life out of the way, going to their respective camps once in awhile while living in the same city for a long time. But when Andy accepts a job to kill Perseus Jackson they join the crew of the Argo II and make decisions that will shake even Olympus. T Just in case. NOT LIKE OTHER ASSASSIN STORIES! First Fanfic. Enjoy?
1. Chapter 1

**Ladies and Gentlemen! It is I the dreaded writers block! In interest of the work done here I have decided to join and rather than inhibit you I will help you**! **for my first story I figured I'd do a PJO. You should run into your favorite son of Pos- (Ahem) Neptune in later chapters but for now I'm gonna see If I can fill you in on some background and get the scene set. When all is said and done and you've and read and reread, review and throw ideas at me. My life can get pretty boring pretty fast, BUT I'm not gonna update a story no one reads so if you stop by do something to let me know you have seen it and do (or don't) want to see more. Now lets go back to New Rome...Only 3 days after the 7 have left the city in smoldering flame (LEO!)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO or Heros of Olympus. If I owned Percy...**

"Now before you get all upset and tell me that I was supposed to do like the gods told me and stay put with Andy, you have to understand my background. We _were_ the only demigods like this. I'm not Olympian although I called Ops "Mom." But I wasn't a Titan, even though I called Uranus "Dad." I was an anomaly. The gods feared me because _they_ didn't know what I was either. That didn't keep them from bossing me around, though. I did manage to meet one of my "parents" once. Saturn told me I was the physical embodiment of Rome. He said I would eventually die and a new person would get my "blessing." Blessing my eye! A curse is what it is! i have a part of every god from Jupiter to Diana. Every Titan from Atlas to Latona. Do you know the Aura I produce? I attract more monsters then a halloween party. I did one of the most heroic things in history. No one sees it as that. Its looked at as "selfish" because I know that no one else in the world deserves to deal with what I've had to deal with. Immortality brings my suffering to a completely new level. It took me close to 300 years before the monsters started to leave me alone. That was about 75 years before the fall of Rome and that's when I met Andy."

I was about to say more I heard what sounded like the clip-clop of hooves outside the door. I put my hand on my swords and stood up. We had heard about a potential attack from centaurs, and the quest we sent north had reported back that there were centaurs coming. Dakota stood up from his couch.

"Armor and weapons troops, let's go," he said quietly, looking at everyone in the barracks. "And remember, use the element of surprise."

I could tell the 5th cohort was still overconfident since they won the war games a week and a half ago . Reyna had postponed any more games untill the new Greek war was over. I sat back, both of my swords sheathed on my sides.

"You know, Dakota," I said, "why don't you let me get this one? It's not like the fifth doesn't have enough to brag about already. I think I know what's out there and if it _is,_ centaurs I'll let you have them. If not..." I listened hard. Sure enough, I heard shuffling. "Centaurs don't shuffle," I whispered. I turned to Dakota who had picked up his kool-aid again.

"All right, Nathan. If you know what you're doing, go for it." he said and then patted his chest. "But me and the cohort will be here. If you need anything, just yell."

I smiled. "Most generous, and I will call on you if I run into trouble." I turned and quickly climbed out of the window next to my chair. I used the eves to climb on to the roof and then army-crawled to the front of the building, where I could look straight down onto the porch. When I realized it was Andy I sat in a cross-legged position and listened. Andy was standing up against the building. If anyone walked outside they wouldn't see her until it was too late.

"C'mon Nathan," I heard Andy's voice murmur. "You never make empty threats; now where are you?" I smiled as I listened. "You know" she muttered to herself "after 4000 years, I should have figured out a better plan than this. Finally!" I heard her say when I heard footsteps inside the barracks. I hoped Dakota wasn't going to ruin my fun, but I heard the creak of a chair and knew I was alright. For now.

"Well!" I said and she jumped. I wanted to make an entrance, so I tried my jump flip. Bad idea. "Oof!" I gasped as I landed on my back.

"Ha!" Only she could look that smug about a person landing badly. Then she tripped and fell coming down the stairs of the porch.

For about thirty seconds, neither one of us could move. I was the first to get enough air back in my lungs to get up. Unfortunately, she got up less then six seconds after I did. I drew one of my swords with my left hand. "So you"re here," I said.

"I am."

"What for?"

"You. Remember Gaia?"

"Terra," I corrected her automatically. "Yeah, of course I remember her. She showed up on the island in resurrection bay that one time in the 1940's."

"And 30 years earlier she was around too," Andy reminded me, "and in the 1860's, and the 1770's, not to mention the-"

"Andy! you're rambling. Just get on with your point."

"Oh yeah my point." She blushed slightly. "My point is, she's back."

"I know."

"Look we need to go back home"

"You came all this way to tell me somthing that I already knew? Yeah, right, Andy. I know you better than that. What really brought you here?" I slid my sword back into its sheath.

She sheathed one of her daggers and looked at her reflection in the other. "Nathan," she said quietly, "I've got another job."

"Who?" I whispered. In her spare time she's an assassin for hire to the highest bidder to kill... well anyone.

"Percy Jackson."

**Don't you just love foreshadowing? I do! Read and review! As a writes block I need ideas so be sure to throw them at me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey world I'm gonna give you a quick update, the Argo 2 hasn't reached the Atlantic yet and when it does thats when life gets... Interesting**

**Now on to the story**

**Nathan**

"Aha! For the first time in 2000 years, you're actually making sense!" I grinned. "You're going to assassinate a enemy of Rome and-"

"Nathan!" she interrupted, "I'm thinking about returning the cash and ducking out."

"Wha- but why?"

"First, he is supposedly the bane of Gaia. Second, he's a Greek like me, and third, he's almost to the Atlantic," she said.

I walked down the center of the street. "You know that I'm going to have to bring you to Reyna then?" I said without any enthusiasm in my voice. Andy and I had been friends for years, but we still took our respective sides when the Greeks and Romans went to war against each other. I felt her blade on my back.

"Would you really do that to your best friend?" she said quietly. I turned around. The dagger that she had used to view her reflection earlier was now pointed at my chest.

"No!" I yelled "After all, I would need at least a cohort to capture you and does it look like I have one around here?"

She glanced around nervously. "Nathan, hand me your swords, and march out of here keeping your hands on your head."

I slowly unsheathed my swords and began to hand them to her. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as the fifth began to assemble outside of their barracks. I leapt to the side as Dakota yelled,

"Charge!" I moved around toward Dakota and the other centurion, Gwen, as the fifth charged and surrounded Andy. "Told you we had your back," he said the laughter bright in his eyes

"Disarm her, but don't hurt her," I said. "I want to bring her to Reyna since I know the reason for her appearance here."

"She's Greek," Gwen looked at me strangely. "How would you know why she's here? Unless... you're in league with the Greeks Grab him!"

I drew my swords quickly. "No, I'm not 'In league with the Greeks,' as you put it. If you give me a chance to tell you what's going on, I will." I backed up quickly from the swords and spears pointing at my face. "She came to get me back home. According to her, its been under attack and I need to help her defend it." The last part was a lie but I was panicking.

Before Gwen could order me a haircut starting at the neck, Dakota interjected, "He could have just walked away with her. Instead, he called for u-"

"You jerk!" Andy was straining to get away from the two boys who held her as she yelled at me. The boys were, in true Roman fashion, stepping on her feet to keep her from running. Good thing, too. She had been trained in Sparta, Athens, and Japan (in her spare time) and was deadly in weaponless combat. "You refused to come, too." She looked murderous.

"I need to get her to Reyna," I said. Andy's eyes visibly widened in fear.

"Fine!" spat Gwen. "But anything amiss and I'll be coming to find you...personally."

I shuddered. Immortality has its perks but I have a cursed one. Nox granted me immortality, but as compensation, I was to be just like the monsters I strove to kill. I get sent back to Tartarus if I die. I didn't want to get in a fight with Gwen; she had a bad habit of cutting off... well, parts of the body that weren't generally on display. It would be painful, not to mention inconvenient to get sent back.

Dakota looked at Gwen and then at me before he said, "Look, Nathan, take these two guards. They'll escort you as far as Reyna's." He turned to the fifth cohort. "Enough excitement for one night. Inside! Now!" He handed me Andy's daggers and spear.

I sighed with relief as the guards began to walk with Andy, and the fifth cohort went back inside. After a few minutes, Andy spoke up, "Jeez, Gwen really hates you, doesn't she?" I grunted my assent. "Why?" asked Andy.

I kept walking for a couple of minutes before I answered, "I turned her down."

"Huh?"

"Like dating," I clarified as I turned down the Via Principalis toward the center of town. "I don't like her like that, and I'm immortal, which always complicates relationships."

When I finally got to Reyna's, Andy was semi- conscious. When we passed the road to the gate, she began to struggle and to avoid a prisoner escape, the guards had drugged her slightly with a rag of ether. After I knocked on the door I saw that Andy was coming to, "Now be a good girl and be sure to tell Reyna everything she asks,"

The door swung open revealing a very irritated Reyna. "Nathan! I'm glad to see you''re here, but did you have to tell me right now?" she asked.

I motioned the guards forward, smiled and said, "Of course! And look, I brought a friend."

Reyna looked smug. "Well, we'd best show her some hospitality then."

* * *

"No."

I turned and looked Reyna in the eye "Why?"

"She's Greek, I don't need any other reason." Reyna met my gaze with a level one of her own. We'd propped Andy, who the guards had given another dose of ether after we arrived, on a chair in the dining room. I was pretty sure she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

I had suggested that Andy accompany me on a strike team assault if she gave good information. Reyna had promptly refused.

"Look," I began before we heard a thump from the chair.

We both reached for our weapons before I realized what had happened. Andy had fallen off her chair!

"Great," muttered Reyna, "Just what we need, a rag doll."

I chuckled as I walked up to Andy. "That will leave a mark." Sure enough Andy had bruised her arm on the table leg, and hit her head pretty hard. I put her on the office chair by the door to the kitchen and walked back over to Reyna.

"Reyna, listen we can beat these enemies. If we leave her, as the Greek, to do the dirty work, we can take the credit in the ensuing battle." Reyna hated to use assassins. I suddenly thought of something, "And if that girl, Piper, happens to be in the line of fire, well, I think I can convince both Jason and the Roman senate that he was bewitched." I smiled as I watched Reyna think. I knew that the loss of Jason hurt her more then she would admit. "Then we send Andy to Alaska and there's no problem."

Just as Reyna was about to answer, we heard a crash come from the other side of the room.

Again Andy was on the ground. this time one of the statues that Reyna owned was lying on her chest, with its head on the floor.

I laughed. "You should be glad she's unconscious. She's more clumsy when she's awake."

Reyna scowled as she lifted the statue off Andy and laid her on a couch in the other room. "Yes, but when she's awake she can answer questions."

"Well, what's this?" I said, picking up a piece of paper that had slipped out of Andy's shirt. I frowned. How had she managed to slip this away? It wasn't like she hadn't been searched when she lost her weapons.

Reyna grabbed the paper and glanced at it quickly. She looked relieved already. "This is good, this information tells us why we lost them, and exactly where they're going."

"And where is that?"

"Charleston. I'll have you leave tomorrow."

"No," I said "That ship is a deadly weapon, and with a son of Neptune there it would be a bad idea to go without knowledge of the ship."

"Nathan!" she exclaimed, "No one in this camp know anything about that shi-"

I cut her off and pointed to Andy "She does. And you and the rest of the legion will be there. I'll take the risk that she double crosses us if it means that we won't have to start a war." I could tell she was considering it so I continued, "I'll go with her and protect whoever else comes along with us, but going in without any knowledge of that ship is suicide."

Reyna looked at me like she was remembering everything she knew about me. Finally she said, "Fine, if you think it will help avoid war. But she cannot be allowed on her own. Stay with her no matter what."

"I will."

* * *

**Andy**

I stifled a groan as I woke up on Reyna's couch. Man, she knew her way around torture! Everything on me hurt. I wasn't pleased to see she had broken my nails.

"Ah, finally awake?"

The boy on the floor looked at me with his startlingly blue eyes. It took all my self-control not to strangle him, no matter how much I hurt. "Yes, Nathan, I'm finally awake as you put it. Now, what exactly is going on that you had to drag me to Reyna's for torture?"

I could tell he was trying hard not to laugh at me, "You have a bad habit of falling over and into things when you aren't conscious." He waved his hand as I opened my mouth to disagree. "I'll tell you about it later. There are bigger things going on right now that require our attention. Octavian is leading the first strike team against the seven with you and I. The rest of the legion is already prepping." Nathan shrugged, "I didn't want to send a strike team but after you went unconscious, Reyna insisted. Apparently Octavian has to be seen doing something or else the Legion is likely to kill him. I guess that's a bad thing." He stood up.

"Didn't Octavian start the war? Wouldn't killing him end it faster?" I asked, mostly because I didn't really like the kid, but also because I knew if I kept Nathan talking I might be able to get information faster.

"Reyna doesn't think so. I do but I've been told what to do with my opinion." He sounded bitter. "Look, I need to go, Reyna only knows where Leo, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, and Hazel are going." He grinned.

I swear, I thought, he can change emotions faster than most people change clothes.

He interrupted my thoughts with the ending,"-wants me to thank you for your information. Oh and someone left this letter for you. Instructions are to read it and burn it." On his way out, he stopped and said "Field of Mars, half- hour." Then he walked out without another word. I knew he was going to be disappointed; the way I felt I wouldn't be getting off this couch for a week, and definitely not in a half- hour. Faking that I wasn't in pain was easy in conversation. Moving, on the other hand, was not going to be fun. Feeling like a 80 year old lady, I reached for the letter.

On the front someone had written "Andy" in beautiful calligraphy. My hands shook as I opened the letter and I quickly analyzed the lines and glyphs covering the page. I smiled. Of all the things, Nathan! It's so like him to write a letter in a dead language. I shook my head. Ancient Aztec hasn't been spoken in years but here it was, in my letter. I was a little rusty but after about 15 minutes I had it figured out.

* * *

"Andy,

Chin up Girl. You apparently still remember your Aztec! You only told Reyna 3 important things. Everything else you "told" her she already knew. First she knows why the eagles lost the scent of the demigods. Second she knows that you have knowledge about the seven's location. Third, she knows you have to assassinate Percy, which is how I convinced her to let you come with Octavian and I. I wish to apologize for the secrecy, but I knew you would want to know if you gave away anything important. There's a vial of nectar on the table. Drink it. We leave in approximately 10 minutes, and I think we should be able to sneak on board the Argo if everything goes to hades.

Nathan"

* * *

Well he was right. I was pleased with myself. I found the bottle and, rolling my eyes at how stupid I was to take something that was probably poisoned, I drank. For the first few seconds I thought I was being eaten alive. Suddenly I felt energy rush into my veins and felt my aches and pains vanished. I looked for a clock. When I found one, I saw that I had only ten minutes, like the letter said. I quickly slipped out the back of Reyna's house and started jogging to the field of Mars. On my way I wondered if I could make a run for it; the camp boundary was right across the river. But as I looked back I noticed that there were 15 boys following me. They were far enough away to look like a morning workout troop, but they were going just fast enough that they could catch me if I started to run toward the boundary. As I arrived, they continued on toward the city before turning around and started doing laps around the Field of Mars. I saw Octavian, Nathan, and Reyna standing near the center of the field. "Hey!" I called

Reyna turned and welcomed me with a rock hard stare instead of an iron hard one. "Hello Andy Graecus."

Just then Nathan moved behind me, he put armor over my head and quickly whispered in my ear, "I know its Roman, but don't argue. Octavian is looking for someone to kill, and he's willing to start with the first Greek he sees." Then he pulled his head from my ear and gave me a intimidating glare and said, "and don't you forget it!" He grinned at his superiors and said, "Just giving her some... incentive."

Octavian looked at me suspiciously, "Look little Greek, fight well. Don't die, and support me next time we elect a leader, and we should get along great." He handed me a helmet, then stood with his arms out like he was going to give me a hug. Before I could move, one of the eagles that were flying above the camp dove and picked him up. Nathan held out his arms out the same way and another came and picked him up. I figured I'd do the same, and before I knew what was going on my feet weren't on the ground anymore.

My eagle caught up to Octavian and Nathan in 30 the ground seemed to fold like a map and California was gone. Below me there were three girls that could only be, Annabeth, Hazel, and Piper. Then the eagle dropped me.

**R&R otherwise I don't know if you dislike it. Also I need anyone who might know Annabeth's and Percys middle names pm me plz!**


	3. Chapter 3

**After all the work I have put into Andy and Nathan I can't just leave them out. I will continue to use their POV's unless absolutely necessary. I'm trying to stay true to the books as much as I can, that may change with time. I have tried to buy Percy Jackson but that hasn't happened yet (talk about not returning phone calls :)) So good ol Rick still owns him and THANKS RICK! I only own Nathan and Andy.**

**Nathan**

I hate freefall.

That was my thought as the eagle dropped me, Octavian, and Andy on the dock in front of Annabeth, Hazel and Piper. My stomach was still sitting in California where the eagles had left it when they had folded the world and put on a burst of speed. The freefall didn't help the hole where my stomach should be. The eagles were extremely tired, and since they were our ride home, we had a lot of time in Charleston.

Octavian told the girls to put their weapons on the dock. I watched as Annabeth threw hers in the water. As it disappeared into the water, I could see Leo, Frank, and Jason flying toward the ship. Well Jason and Frank were flying. Frank had turned into a eagle and Jason using the wind. Leo was in the talons of the eagle and looked unhappy. I suddenly realized, too late, Percy was missing. He could only be one place, and Annabeth had just thrown her dagger right to him.

"Octa-"

KER-SPlOOSH.

For a moment all I could see was foam. Suddenly I was in the water on one side of Octavian. Andy was on his other side and he was using us to keep afloat. All three us were armored and Octavian him up wasn't easy. As Percy and the girls climbed onto the ship, I realized that the water beneath me was circulating, creating a kind of floor. Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed Octavian and threw him onto the dock. I thought as I let go that he was going to hit his head. I worried for a second, but he landed on his back and I turned to the ship beside me. I swam over to the ship and grabbed one of the oars on the bottom level of the trireme. I used it as a ladder to get on deck. Without warning the ship lurched forward. It took all my strength to pull myself up onto the oar into a standing position. When I was finally up,I held onto an oar above me to keep from falling off.

Suddenly I remembered, Andy! I looked around and saw that she was standing on an oar just like me. The only difference was that she was perfectly balanced and had her spear across her back, daggers sheathed- no wait, one dagger sheathed the other in her right hand. The ship started to turn and then came to an abrupt stop, almost throwing me off, as the ship hit the island of Fort Sumter.

Andy began to climb up the oars and I did the same. I stopped at the top and listened. Hearing nothing I looked over the railing. No sign of anyone on deck; Percy was on the gangplank fighting with Piper and Hazel at his side. Annabeth was nowhere to be seen but Frank, Jason, and Leo flew over the walls of the fort into the our army. The army must have shown up when the ship was moving. There was a faun in the ballista shooting onto our troops yelling, "Die! Die! Die!"

I leapt over the railing and was about to rush the faun when someone tackled me from behind and pinned my arms to my back.

"All right, where's Percy?" I heard Andy's voice hiss in my ear.

"He's over on the gangplank, but now's not the time to kill him, Andy." She released me. "First we need to find a place where we can hide for a few days until we are out of sight of land," I stood up and looked at her.

Her expression was a mixture of shock, anger, and what I hoped was a tiny bit of gratitude. She turned toward the door to below decks,"Quickly then, lets get below deck before they get here." I looked over by the fort. Sure enough Leo and Jason were fighting steadily back to the ship. Frank must have turned into an elephant and was strolling ahead of them sort of clearing a path. I shook my head and followed Andy below deck.

We looked through all the rooms. The first eight were bedrooms. The other two were, in hindsight, obvious. The one on the right was a dining room. The one on the left said "infirmary" and had dozens of beds inside it.

As we were looking into it I said, "So they're seven demigods and a faun on this ship right?" Andy nodded. "Why then are there over 48 beds in this room?"

Andy didn't say anything; she just turned and walked down the hall. She went down the stairs further into the ship.

When I caught up to her I saw that she had found the perfect place to hide. The storeroom. It was so big that I was sure that a warehouse store would have been jealous. There was enough food, drink, and assorted boxes that we could probably live down here for years and not be noticed. I looked at Andy curiously, "You were around when this was built. If there are magic plates that fill up with food, and a workbench that never runs out of supplies... (we had found that in Leo's room) I tried to form my question. "If you had those things why would you build something this big, expand it with magic, and then fill it up?"

Andy closed the door and I saw that it had been built to look like the wall. Then she turned to me "Nathan I promise I will answer everything you've asked if you can answer one question for me."

"I can't guarantee anything, Andy. I'm not very good at math, for example," I tried to joke but Andy's face told me this was no joking matter, "All right, I'll do the best I can."

"Why are you here? You could have jumped overboard the minute I let you go. Instead you stayed. Why?"

"Those are two questions and they both have similar answers. So here's why: Reyna only trusts you so far. I'm here to make sure that you don't jump on the ship, warn Percy, and then jump overboard and tell us you killed him."

She backed up, anger in her eyes, "So you don't trust me. You're here to make sure I don't mess up, because you don't trust me to do the job."

I rolled my eyes, "Reyna doesn't trust you. I obviously do or else I wouldn't have told her that you should have come along. Now you've got some questions that you promised that you'd answer. Tell me." then I remembered that she liked manners, "Please." I added.

"I did, didn't I?" She said looking around. She walked toward the back of the room, and motioned for me to follow. The isles of boxes were labeled everything from "Danger Explosives" to "Fragile: Handle with Care."

I wondered where she was taking me. She seemed to know where she was going, so I continued to follow her down the hallways. I tried to remember the directions we went in, but I eventually got mixed up. I kept a close eye on what was around me. After about ten minutes it was pretty obvious that no one had followed us into the room, so I focused on my silent companion. She seemed to relaxed for a girl that had been asked to kill the toughest demigod of all time and had formed an uneasy alliance with her enemies. I cringed at the thought that we were enemies again. We had been through a lot together. She stopped suddenly, and I ran into her.

She turned and glared at me. "What was that for?"

I looked at her apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was wool-gathering over when we met."

"Yeah," she had a faraway look in her eyes, "I remember, it was the reenactment of the battle of Athens. We were the Athenians." She chuckled, "We weren't supposed to win either." She seemed to come back to reality. "What brought you to that memory?"

"You getting mad at me."

That got a laugh from her, "If you say that too much I probably will get mad at you."

"Well, I'm glad that I finally got you to laugh. I was worried that you had completely lost your sense of humor. Now why did we stop?" I looked around. There wasn't anything around except boxes. We seemed to have walked into a dead end.

"Well, I need to get into the place where we'll be hiding, if I wasn't here, could you find it?."

"First, answer my earlier questions."

"Fine. The infirmary is extra large in case there was anyone from Camp Jupiter that needed medical attention. Camp Half-blood heard about the invasion of monsters and Polybotes and wasn't sure about if you would have enough beds for the wounded."

I nodded "I can see how that might be a goodwill builder. If you weren't out to kill us."

She rolled her eyes, "You Romans really get the idea that everything is intentional." I opened my mouth to point out that it had been the Greeks that had attacked New Rome, but she spoke before I could. "As to why this is here," she motioned to the room around us, "it was an idea of Annabeth's. It was in case the ship was seized by the Romans," she realized her mistake and tried to recover, "I mean- an enemy, then the crew could hide down here with supplies. No one but the Greek Demigods, and I know about its existence. It's a fail-safe, It actually is waterproof and will sink, intact, if the ship goes down allowing the crew to IM to get rescued. " She tilted her head to one side. "I've lost you haven't I?"

I shook my head "Nah, now where are we hiding."

She grinned, "Now I know I lost you, you're changing the subject. As far as our hiding place, it's right in front of us."

I looked at the box in front of us. The label said, "caution: acidic and highly combustible. touching may cause Shock, And Fire Emergency."

"Um, Andy? I think you've finally lost it. This is screaming, 'Death!'"

"Usually, yes, but look at the label; wouldn't you say that it's odd to have no other capitals then those last four words?"

I reanalyzed the last few letters. S-A-F-E. Safe! "Ok thats impressive."

She shrugged, "Simple, but effective." She pulled the lid aside and we went in. Inside smelled like fresh cut wood. It was a long tunnel, and further ahead I could see light. We walked all the way to it which took about one minute. Once we were there, my jaw dropped.

It looked like a small penthouse. The builders used the food crates to create an entire second floor. The first floor had a couch, some board games were stacked on one side of the room, while the other side consisted of a kitchen. On either side of the door was a weapons closet. One held swords, spears, and shields. The other held bows, and crossbows, both large and small. As I was looking through the closets I realized Andy wasn't standing by me.

"Thi- this is incredible!" I heard Andy say from upstairs.

"You were there when this was built. Did you sleep through it or something?" I called up half-jokingly. Andy loves to sleep, I think it's what she dreams about, honestly. You always let a sleeping Andy lie. Even when we were ambushed outside of Rome, I fought them until it was Andy's shift. Then I let the bandits wake her up. The look on her face was downright scary.

She appeared at the top of the stairs with a scowl on her face. "No, I didn't sleep through it. I left to find you. All that was in here was a fridge and stove; the upstairs is new. Come up here and I'll show you."

I'm not a building lover, but I had to admit the architecture that was supporting the rooms was incredible. I went upstairs and Andy showed me the bedrooms. They were pretty basic, bed, dresser, and attached bathroom. I wandered downstairs with Andy. I sat in an armchair while she stretched out on the couch.

"I've got bad news about upstairs."

Andy rolled her eyes "Look when it comes to architecture you aren't exactly known for being accurate about structural integrity."

"That's not true." I protested.

"The Eiffel Tower is still standing." she pointed out.

"It's gonna fall down sometime," I muttered. "I was right about that bridge, though." I reminded her.

"Yep, you were, rotted wood and a high river, and you told me it wasn't safe. If I remember correctly I agreed"

"Well, it's not the structure I'm worried about. It's that if someone sees that a bed's been slept in, they'll alert the entire ship that we're on board."

"So we sleep on the couch in shifts?"

"Yep."

"Good, I'll save you the trouble of trying to fall asleep. Wake me in about 3 hours." She rolled on her side.

"Boy, did I walk into that one." I got up and went to the fridge. There was only bread and peanut butter and jelly. I sighed with exasperation. It was going to be a long day.

**That ends another chapter. I need to know if I should do a Percy or Annabeth POV. I'm considering emphasizing these two and running them parallel to Ricks stories, but thats still in the air. R&R people, Reviews give criticism. Criticism gives me Ideas. Ideas give new chapters. So I don't care if you flame, but be sure to send hot dogs with it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok so, sorry about the wait. I was out of town, and without wifi for a while. But I'm back now! (until school starts, then my schedule gets hectic again.) I will try to update more but... Time is one thing I can't buy more of.**

**Anyhow, so I don't own Perseus Jackson or anyone else from PJO or HoO.**

I eventually realized that I would soon be faced with the daunting task of waking Andy up. Deciding that I would worry about that when I had to, I analyzed the contents of the cupboards in the kitchen. We had about a hundred different kinds of soups, some canned fruit, and some canned vegetables. I have a strong dislike of anything canned, so I decided to forgo anything and the cupboard and resigned myself to a peanut butter sandwich.

I could tell by the way the hull was humming that we were really moving. Suddenly I noticed a major decrease in speed, I figured we were far enough out to sea that land was out of sight. I began to let my thoughts wander as I began to make the sandwich. I wondered if perhaps Perseus was behind the ships quick speed earlier.

I sighed, I knew that if Andy was going to kill Percy she was going to need some prodding. In a battle, like what was going on at Fort Sumter, she could have easily killed him with a backstab, or even just distracted him long enough for him to be struck down. The fact that she had brought me down here meant that her loyalty was still to Camp Half-blood. If we got back, and Percy was still alive, I would be in trouble with Reyna. I had promised that I wouldn't leave Andy. I had kept that promise. However I knew that timing with Percy's death was crucial. If it was obvious that he was killed by a Roman, the war would continue. If he just died "accidentally" fighting a monster though. I left the thought as I heard a noise outside the box.

Moving silently from my sandwich, I quietly slipped toward the tunnel where I heard voices. Recognizing one as Jason's, I guessed that the girl's voice was Piper. Her tone was, I would call it suggestive. I suddenly knew why charmspeak was so dangerous, it wasn't just magic, it affected the same part of the brain that controlled your emotion of love. When you are in love, or in an intimate position with someone, you are more likely to do what they tell you. It was obvious that was why Piper was so powerful. I cursed mentally as I heard the conversation.

"Jason I swear there was someone down here," Piper's voice was full of worry. For a moment I wondered why she didn't just charmspeak her boyfriend before I reconsidered. If Piper did have feelings for him, she wouldn't control him.

"When would have they gotten onboard Pipes?" Jason's voice was calm, but a little forced.

There was no response from Piper for a while. "Jason, I think there's someone in the shelter." I froze.

"We can look but I doubt anyone is in there." I heard the door begin to slide open. As I was about to pick up Andy, and hope she wouldn't wake up, the hull shook.

"Piper, lets look into this later. This ship shouldn't be shaking unless Leo installed a dance mechanism." I suppressed a chuckle. From Andy's description of Leo, I could easily see him doing that.

"Jason he wanted to, but we ran out of time. And I think he was joking." She didn't sound very sure.

"Look we'll come back later, but now we should go." As he finished I heard the door slide shut and footsteps recede.

I let out my breath quietly. That was close.

I turned to go get my sandwich before there was a huge lurch and I fell to the floor.

Jumping up I looked for Andy. She was right on the edge of the couch. I ran to her, barely keeping my balance, and caught her as she fell off, and put her back on the couch sitting up.I could hear swearing outside so I knew that Piper and Jason hadn't left yet. That didn't keep Andy from waking up. Knowing that she would always begin a conversation loudly, when she had just woken up, I did the smart thing. I put my hand over my mouth.

She bit my hand, and I almost swore with Jason. I motioned that there were people outside and that we needed to be quiet. She seemed to understand and I removed my hand.

Her look was murderous, and I knew that if she hadn't known our survival depended on it, she would have definitely been yelling at me for waking her up. Then she knelt on the couch and put her face next to my ear.

"Nathan, if there's peanut butter won't they know we were here?"

I ran/stumbled to the kitchen, and proceeded to put away the peanut butter, grab the bread, but I missed the sandwich. I saw it as it fell, both pieces of bread had come apart. I did the only thing and grabbed them, peanut butter and all.

I had it all over my hands and it didn't feel great but I turned it into a bread ball and began to chew it. I nearly choked but kept chewing and began to wash my hands in the sink, I hoped that the water would evaporate before Piper came back. I stumbled back to Andy.

"There," I sat down, "happy?"

"No," she stood up, still holding on to the couch, "Something's attacking the ship.

"Lets get to the deck then." I stood up. "If we stay in here we're going down no matter what. We've got a better chance on deck."

"Ok, have Piper and Jason left?"

"Lets find out."

Balancing on the still shaking floor, we finally made it to the door and looked around the edge. Things were tipping dangerously, but nothing had fallen. Yet. No one was in sight though.

"Ok, what are our directions?"

"Straight out and two rows over," she said.

"Really Andy? If it's that easy to get back here, why did we take so long the first time?"

"I needed time to think." The entire ship seemed to tilt sideways before crashing back, but it was still shaking.

"This conversation isn't over," I said before running as fast as I could toward the wall. I was halfway there when Andy caught up.

"It's rather depressing that I can still outrun you," We rounded the corner and continued toward the door.

"You don't sound very depressed." I observed. "I still don't know how you can run that fast. I'm ten times the fighter you are."

We opened the door and rushed up the stairs. As we ran down the hall, barely keeping balance, Andy said, "I don't remember which one of us won last time we fought, but I don't think it was you."

Before I could argue, the door in front of us, to the deck, exploded as a body flew through it, ending our argument. A warm sticky tentacle flew through the remnants of the door and grabbed me. Another one came in and grabbed Andy. Both of us were pulled out over the ship.

Andy's arms were free, and so were mine, but our weapons were pinned to us. Below I could hear Jason and Annabeth attacking the tentacles on the ship. The faun was running around hitting the tentacles with a baseball bat and yelling, "Kill the nose hair! Die stupid monster!"

"Stupid Skolopendra!" Andy was obviously not pleased with our position. Then again, neither was I.

"I! that Leo and Hazel?" I struggled as another tentacle passed us by, holding two people.

"I can't tell." She looked up where the tentacle had stopped and seemed to be waiting. "I don't recognise people by looking at their legs!"

I watched as a bolt of fire shot from above us.

"Yeah, it's Leo."

The fire hit the Skolopendra right in the tentacle. It didn't let us go, but the tentacle holding Leo and Hazel released them. Andy and I went in opposite directions. As I moved, I thought I saw greek fire fly toward the monster. I felt the tentacle let me go, and I flew far over the sea. As I hit the water with enough force to flatten a dump truck, my only thought was that I'd failed Reyna.

**Yeah, cliff hanger. I know, bad, but I've been busy lately and this makes my life look better. So plan on hearing from me sometime in the future this month. And drop me a comment, Heck with the amount of reads this stories been getting I'd take a flame any day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay so I'm back, I figured it was safe to go with Andy being as I still haven't found Nathan yet. If I find him I'll get him to write down his story, I'll put it on here, and then I go find him again. It keeps me a job. On the downside I haven't found him. Instead I ran into Andy and convinced her to tell me her side of what happened.**

**I own Andy and... and nothing else.**

**Andy**

The tentacle that held me began to go underwater. About ten feet from the whitecaps I finally got one of my daggers free and stabbed the stupid thing. Like I hoped, it dropped me. What I'd forgotten was that something the size of the Skolopendra had a ton of undertow and I went under whether I wanted to or not.

Imagine swimming against two MMA Wrestlers while having anchors attached to your feet. That would have been child's play compared to swimming against the current that the Skolopendra was generating. I was going down, and my lungs were screaming for air. I knew that I could actually hold my breath a bit longer if I let a bit of the air in my lungs out. That wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. The second I let a little out, all the rest of it went and I watched my air supply head toward the surface. I was losing energy; I knew I couldn't breathe in, but my body really wanted to.I was about to give up when suddenly I felt the familiar sensation of an egg breaking on top of my head. I watched as a thin bubble covered my body, starting at my scalp. I gasped, glad that there was air in my lungs and turned around.

"Bill!" I hugged him. "What's it been? 500 years?"

He chuckled as he returned the hug. "478 to be exact." He broke our hug and looked me up and down. "Hmm, you need to eat more, Andy. You're skinny."

I laughed. Bill was a famous Merman fighter. The last time we had met, I was having major body shape issues. I told everyone I was fat. Nathan and I were in the Yucatan peninsula helping the Native Americans, I forget which tribe, fend off the Spanish.

I had snuck aboard the Spaniards ship and I had been unable to fit through a gap, about 18 inches across, between two crates. I berated myself for years afterward about being fat. Nathan told me I was perfectly skinny, and a beautiful girl. He's a horrible flirt though, so I just nodded an agreed but didn't believe him. We met Bill when he sunk the spanish sloop we were stowed away on. Nathan had wrestled the dagger from his hands and given me an air bubble while he fought on adrenaline. I managed to convince Bill to give Nathan a bubble too, and then explained that we were there to help the Native Americans.

Turned out Bill was there for that reason too! We worked together and sabotaged the Spanish until they left. During that time he caught on that I was having body image issues and so, every time he saw me he'd say "Geez girl, you need to eat more. You're skinny."

I was touched that he had remembered after almost five centuries.

"Bill, I'm over that phase of my life." I smiled.

"Well, I'm only telling the truth!" He started to swim away. "Are you coming?"

I floated after him, "Yeah, so what's the down low on the underflow?"

He smiled at my play on words, and told me that lately the underwater camp had boomed with new arrivals. He also informed me that ever since the Titan War, there had been more sea monster activity. "I've been busier this year then I have in the last millennium," he said. "Or at least it seems that way."

We were close to some caves. "What are these?" I looked at them curiously.

"These are storage chambers," he said, using finger quotes for 'storage.' "In reality we generally use them for prisons."

"So Nathan is in one of these?" I half- joked.

Bill looked at me surprised. "No, I haven't seen Nathan for a couple hundred years. He was down here in 1860 and told me about..." He trailed off.

"About what?" I asked. Nathan so very rarely left home that I was curious what had brought him to this camp.

"Nothing," said Bill. I could tell he was lying. His tail was swishing back and forth, but he wasn't going anywhere. "Just the war, but I haven't seen him since then."

I knew that Nathan had come down for more than just war advice, but I didn't have time to argue. I had been under the impression that he, like me, had been pulled down by the Skolopendra. I grabbed Bill's arm.

"Are there merpeople out looking for anyone else that was captured by the Skolopendra?" I felt panic. Nathan wasn't my best friend, but I'd prefer him watching my back then no one at all.

"Merpeople? No but the Ichthyocentaurs are out. They wanted to be sure the Skolopendra didn't attack us. When it headed for the ship they got first aid ready for whoever the monster didn't eat."

"Eat?" I squeaked. I'm not one to be squeamish, but I've only had three monsters try to eat me. Usually all they want to do is kill me.

"Yeah, eat. Andy, are you ok? You look green." I was trying not to puke underwater because I didn't think it would look very good. "Eat this."He handed me a piece of leaf

"What's this?"

"Nori. It should settle your stomach."

I ate the leaf. It tasted like dirt, but I instantly felt better.

"Better?" I nodded "Good because the Ichthyocentaurs are back, and they've got people."

I looked at each person. One was Leo, the next was Hazel, and the last was Frank. I looked up at the Ichthyocentaurs "What's wrong with them?"

The biggest looked at me."They tried to breathe our fair ocean, and it didn't work." The Ichthyocentaurs and Bill chuckled good-naturedly. "Who is she and can we trust her?"

"Aphros, this is-" Bill began before I interrupted.

"Andy, who can speak for herself, I might add." I glared at the Ichthyocentaur named Athos.

"Fair enough, Andy," He turned to me. He was tall, bulky and would have made Chuck Norris run to hide under his bed and suck his thumb. I just focused on his lobster horns. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"I met Bill in 1535 by the Yucatan Peninsula. Nathan, my-" I stumbled. I wasn't sure how to describe Nathan. Friend? Enemy? Annoyance? Fortunately Apros recognized the name and saved me from categorizing Nathan by asking:

"Nathan from the 1860's?

Bill jumped in, "Yes."

"And you're Andy Graecus?" He looked like he was going to laugh.

"That's generally what I'm known as." I was confused

Athos looked at the other Ichthyocentaur and just nodded.

I realized they knew something I didn't. I was getting annoyed. "What was he here for?"

"Tricks and tips." The other Ichthyocentaur said. "But the real question is, why are you here?"

"Their ship was attacked," Bill answered for me.

"Yes and we," I included Leo and Hazel in my 'we', "were grabbed by our wonderful Skolopendra friend and dragged down. But Nathan wasn't with me. He disappeared." I suddenly stopped. They were going to cross my story with Hazel, Frank, and Leo and we would be busted. "Oh, and Nathan and I are kinda stowaways on the Argo II so..." I hoped they'd understand.

"You don't want us telling these three?" the Ichthyocentaur whose name I still hadn't learned finished my sentence for me. "I don't know..."

"Come now Bythos, surely you jest!" Aphros looked at his brother with surprise.

"I do indeed. Peace."

"Great." I was still looking everywhere, hoping to see a body floating, or swimming around. "But Nathan was with me, have you seen him?" A thought crossed my mind. "Is he... trapped by the Skolopendra, did you see?"

Bythos shook his head solemnly. "No, Andy, there was no one trapped or fighting that beast. It was fleeing to the deep, but there was no one else with it."

I relaxed somewhat; he wasn't in immediate danger of being killed and eaten. "But you haven't seen him anywhere else?" I half hoped he'd say yes, but I knew that it was a futile hope.

Both Ichthyocentaurs shook their heads.

"Andy, I'm sure he's fine," Bill put his hand on my shoulder, and turned me around (which was very disconcerting underwater since my feet stayed square to my body.) "He's seen and done more than most gods have, I doubt he's in much trouble."

"He's a magnet for trouble," I pointed out. "If he walked into a bar it would be at the very second a brawl started."

Bythos, Aphros, and Bill laughed. Bill was going to say something else when speaking came from one of the caves.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Hazel sounded a bit freaked out.

I grabbed Bill's hand and mouthed, "See you later," to Aphros and Bythos. The two of us floated/swam to the top of a hill where we watched the camp and the two Ichthyocentaurs as they began to walk/float with Hazel. I was still searching the water for any sign of Nathan.

"He's not near here."

I turned to Bill, "How can you tell?"

He shrugged "Mermans intuition? I don't know Andy. I just think that if he were in trouble you would have heard from someone by now."

"Mermans intuition?" I laughed. "What are you an oracle? Merman can't see the future!"

"True," he agreed, "but we can create a type of empathy link with our friends; if you die we aren't affected, but we still know if you are alive or near us."

"Can you help us if needed?"

"We don't know if we are needed. All we know is if you are dead or alive."

I stared at him "So do you watch me?"

"You, and others."

"Thats a bit creepy." Then I realised what he'd said. "So if Nathan had died you would know?"

"Yes."

"And you would tell me."

"Yes."

"So he's alive?"

"Yes"

I looked out over the camp. Hazel was talking to a bunch of mermaids, and Aphos and Bythos were each talking to Leo and Frank, respectively.

"So now what do we do?" I watched as a team of cyclops cheered as they put the roof of a temple on it.

"We talk to Aphros and Bythos when they get back and send you on your way." Bill shrugged, "I don't know how you are going to get back on the ship without being seen though, thats gonna take some skill."

"I am the master of skill. That reminds me-"

I was interrupted by Aphros who swam up full speed, "That Leo boy wants brownies!" He looked like Christmas had come just for him.

I saw a gleam in Bill's eyes "Aphros, do you have that old basket?"

"The one that can hold anything? Of course!" He stuck his chest out with pride.

Bill smiled "Andy, it'll be awhile until you can sneak out of there, but we've got a ride to the surface for you."

"Bill, what if Nathan comes here while I'm gone?"I didn't want him to think that I was too worried, or that I wanted him by my side no matter what.

Bill looked at me. "Why are you so worried about him."

"It's better with two people; keeps you sane."

"Okay," he didn't look convinced. "If you say so. Well, if Nathan comes here, I promise that we will get him to you. Whether you are in the Mediterranean or not."

Aphros nodded. "I'll take him myself."

I looked at Bill, "He's still okay?"

He nodded.

"Okay!" I said, trying to lighten my mood, "Lets go basket me up."

**You know what to do.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so I ran into Nathan in my attempt to continue to chronicle the adventures of Nathan and Andy. He said he's sorry that it's taken so long. I also had some issues getting everything copied down and edited. But everything has come together, and now I've got this chap ready. Finally!**

I yawned.

I rolled over and kept my eyes shut. I felt like I was in a straitjacket: my arms seemed stuck across my chest, and they were cramped. I was missing a shirt and the cot I was lying on was scratchy, plus the wool blanket made me itch. I wondered vaguely if I were dead and sitting somewhere in the Fields of Punishment being punished for never eating my brussels sprouts; I hate brussels sprouts. I began to feel my bonds. They felt like, hemp? Rope! I was tied!

"Well, I'm not dead, that's a plus, probably." I muttered.

I began to work on the knots around my wrists. I kept my eyes closed. Wherever I was, I doubted that a friendly person would tie my hands, and I doubted that waking up would help my situation. I slowed my progress on my bonds intentionally. If was someone was watching me, it was better to seem to be asleep.

"Well," I hummed to myself, "I've been in worse situations before." I paused, "None come to mind, but I'm sure that I've been in worse. Besides, getting into bad situations is my speciality." That's when it hit me; I had gotten into this situation by going in the water. I definitely shouldn't be breathing right now. I felt my stomach twist. No water god had a particular liking for me, and now I was in their domain, and probably their guest. I continued to work on my bonds. I was working to keep my eyes closed now. I had a hunch as to where I was, and I didn't want to hasten my audience with the master of this castle.

I finally managed to get my hands free and tried to squint subtly. Right in front of me was a very white wall about two inches away from my face. I breathed a sigh of relief. My back was to the room. I doubt anyone had watched me untie my bonds.

"Alright, that's enough untying. Get up and let's get down to business." My eyes shot open. The voice was high pitched, and scarily familiar.

"Rhesos," I rolled over. "So does your father know I'm in your room this time?"

She rolled her eyes. "Does he ever? It's always one of my sisters who ruins my fun." She turned away toward a window.

Her room was made out of white coral: smooth on the inside, pointy on the outside. It had gold inlaid with waves all over the walls. The entire room resembled a honeymoon suite. There was a bed toward one side of the room, fixed up with fish sheets. There was a desk with a beautiful mirror over it. Everywhere you looked there was gold. The curtains around her bed were golden colored. The table and chairs were also inlaid with gold, and the chess set that was on top of the table was trimmed with gold as well.

"By 'ruins your fun', I assume you mean steal your boy toy and move him around the castle until your father shows up and demands to know why one of his daughters is kissing me, while another 8 are fighting each other. That fun?" I stood up, or rather floated up. I was encased in a thin bubble of air. Rhesos had a wide eyed look on her face. I immediately remembered I wasn't wearing a shirt. "Um, Rhe? Where's my shirt? And shoes, and socks? My feet are cold, and you're looking at me strangely."

"Um... that way?" Rhesos motioned toward the bed. I grabbed the shirt off the pillow (it smelled like perfume) and found my boots under her bed.

As I looked for my belt, which was also missing, I asked her, "I thought you liked me. Why'd you tie my arms and put me on an army cot in your room?"

"Well the tying was courtesy of daddy's guardsmen. They found you while out on patrol, and brought you back here. I intercepted them and convinced them that taking you to my room was a better option." She grinned wickedly, "I happened to think of you having weapons up your sleeves. Then I happened to think that you shouldn't be let keep your belt or the swords on it. Finally I told them not to tell my father that I had you. It took some doing, and tying up your arms, but they eventually saw my way of thinking."

I had been careful not to look at her, a nereid can seduce you easier if they make eye contact with you, but at the mention of my weapons I turned around fast. "Where are my swords?" I looked at her and my mouth stopped working; it just stayed open.

The last time I had seen her she had taken the form of a 13 year old girl: brown-blonde hair, blue eyes, and an evil sense of humor. Since then she had changed. Her new form, whether by design or accident, kept the same hair color, but her eyes had become brown, with gold around the edges. She had grown a bit taller, still had the same playful smile on her face and now resembled a 15 year old. She was still beautiful, but there was something off about her that I couldn't put my finger on.

I pulled my gaze away, made sure my jaw was back in working order, and tried to pick up where I left off. "Where is my belt with my weapons?" My voice wasn't as strong as before. I wished I hadn't looked at her, even though I was glad I did.

"Oops, did I distract you? Sorry." She didn't sound very sorry, "Here, catch, if you try climbing out my window like you did the time you 'borrowed' my sister, you'll need these." I caught my swords as she tossed them to me.

"You want something I assume? You never speak to me unless there's something you want." I began putting on my belt.

"Aww, can't I take care of an old friend that I hear was floating unconscious through the ocean?"

I paused and looked at her eyebrows raised, "Really?"

She visibly hesitated, "well-"

I heard a hard knock on the door. We both looked toward the door.

"Quick," she hissed, "into the closet!"

I turned and, still buckling my belt, escaped into the closet.

As soon as the door closed I realized that I had made a mistake. The closets (and assorted other places throughout the castle) were all part of an intricate secret network of tunnels which could be used to smuggle in food, and such. Unfortunately, as I had learned multiple times, they were also excellent for playing "Pass the Boytoy."

"I've got to get moving before one of the other princesses shows up looking to borrow a dress, and decides to steal a boy accessory." I put my ear to the oak door so I could hear the argument Rhesos as having outside in her room.

"...No I don't have him in here anymore, he left… Um… out the window! Well, it's not the first time, just ask daddy, he'll tell you all about how he interrupted us on my bed; and before anything was said Nathan was out the window and climbing down faster than an electric eel. No he's not in my closet. If you really want to have someone check send my father, only he can go through all my clothes-"

At that I heard the sound of stone grating across the floor.

"Rhe? You in here?" I didn't move "Good. Girls, she's in her bedroom."

"Do you think she's still got her new dress?" Squealed one.

"Nevermind that, Xanthe, I want to borrow her blue pearls." said another

"Come on, Zeuxo, you're just here to get back at her for borrowing your brush without asking." Said the girl, now identified as Xanthe.

"Who cares about that?" chimed in another voice, "I want my purple blouse back."

"You know, Okyroe, I have your blouse." Said Zeuxo, "I stole it from Pleione last week."

"Hey! That's only 'cause I stole it from you first!" Said the girl I assumed must be Pleione. "Now, I'll keep watch. Just get me something good."

I quietly slid to the side as Pleione snuck to the door. For a second I thought she heard me, she turned and looked right at me, but then shrugged her shoulders and continued looking out the slit in the door. I was now stuck in the clothes but the other girls were still loud enough for me to hear, "this is cool" and, "I wonder how well this would go with my green top?" and even the occasional, "that dirty no good double crossing girl! This is mine!"

I was starting to allow myself to relax when someone grabbed my shirt.

"This is a strange hanger… and a really big shirt!" Said the girl Xanthe. "Hey, Zue," she called, "you've got to feel this mannequin, it's so real, you'd swear it was alive."

I started to feel other girls touching my shirt and marvel at how 'life-like' I was. I was breathing as quietly and shallowly as possible. They were about to turn away when I heard Okyroe say, "I want this in my room."

"Now that you mention it," said Zeuxo, "I could use this too."

"Me too," chimed in Xanthe.

As the sisters began to argue over who would take me back, Pleione appeared out of the dark, "She's coming. We need to go. Now."

The three other girls looked at each other, "Grab it and go!" said Zeuxo. I started to back up, these girls all had a past with me, and getting caught in a tunnel with them would be, interesting. Especially if they got curious. I didn't think they'd like to know that their older sister had found me first.

Unfortunately, right behind me was Okyroe who grabbed me by the shirt collar and said, "Run!" just as the closet door opened to reveal a rather irritated looking Rhesos.

The girls didn't even bother to look around. They leapt for the passage, dragging me with.

Before I could get my bearings we plunged into total darkness.

* * *

"This thing is heavier than I thought it would be," whined Okyroe. We had been running for about a minute and a half, and I was running out of air; not just because nereids are faster than humans, but because Okyroe was still holding the scruff of my t-shirt and dragging me with it. Unfortunately this also meant I had been dragged, bumped, and thumped all the way through the tunnel.

"We're almost to my room. When we get there we can sort what what to do with the mannequin."

I tried to say "I'm not a mannequin" (the time for subterfuge was past) but all I got out was "hugr manqeh!" as my shirt continued to cut off my air supply.

"Quick, in here!" Pleione pointed to an opening with light streaming from it. "Go, Go, G- OH MY GODS IT'S NATHAN!" My ears popped from the decibel increase in such close proximity. "OKY, LET HIM GO! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!"

I managed to get detached from Okyroe, and had just enough time to stumble into Pleione's room and fall onto her bed (which was right next to her closet) before I was set upon by four loud, screaming nereids. Barely able to breathe, I managed to choke out, "air," and the girls untangled themselves, and stood up quickly.

I was pleased with myself until I saw why they had gotten up so fast, and it wasn't so I could get a little Oxygen back in my lungs.

Standing in a suit so black that it would have made Nox jealous was the master of the castle. Oceanus, Titan of the Sea. He was around 6' 2", with blue, scaly skin, and ears that reminded me of fins on the side of a fish. He had a moustache and beard that made him look like a magician. His hands seemed to have elastic webbing between each of his fingers, and his eyes were so blue they were almost black. He strode in with the quiet strength of a tide under the full moon: calm, with the rippling of his suit like the soft waves crashing against the beach. I was still laying on, what I suddenly realized was, his daughter's bed. So, I quickly rolled off and met him halfway.

"Surrender." It was not a suggestion. I handed him both of my blades without a single hesitation. I wasn't about to face this titan in his own place of power; I would be turned into tuna food before I could even move my swords.

With a motion for me to follow him, he headed out of his daughter's quarters. As we left the room Xanthe bumped into me, slipping a small piece of paper into my hand. I sighed in frustration. The last time I had been here, it had been to try to convince Oceanus to join the Council in the Second Titan War. My mission had failed but I had ended up with thousands of these small slips of paper. After we were out the door, I glanced down into my hand. Sure enough, it said what I thought it would.

"I totally want you as my mannequin, call me and we can make some time for it." Her number was at the bottom and I rolled my eyes. Why she had had the paper, and why she had chosen to write it in the few seconds her father was there was beyond me.

I examined the palace as I walked through it. It reminded me of a medieval castle. It was all stone blocks, I wasn't sure what kind. The hallway was lit with lamps with what appeared to be floating bulbs of light. My visit last time had only allowed me into the courtyard, then I was unceremoniously removed from the vicinity.

We turned into a great hall and I caught my breath. It reminded me of a narrow cathedral. The hall was covered in the middle by a carpet colored a deep blue, and around the ceiling more orbs of light floated. At the end of the hall were two chairs by a fireplace filled with green flames. I couldn't hold my tongue any longer.

"What, no throne?" I asked, before I thought twice.

Oceanus rolled his eyes and shook his head. He called to one of his servants, "I want a whisky, and for my guest…" He looked at me expectantly

"Um… water, fresh water." As the servant floated off I sank into one of the armchairs next to the fire. "Well, this is better than I expected."

Oceanus sat down across from me "It's probably better than you deserve, but seeing as I keep banishing you from my kingdom, and you keep coming back, I'm trying reverse psychology. You're here as my guest, and are going to be treated as one. Now I assume you're here for a reason, unless it was to mess with my daughters hearts and minds again. I doubt, however, that that was the reason, right?"

I took my glass from the servant and drank while I thought about my next response. I wished Andy was there, she was an expert diplomat. I seemed to be really good at starting fights, but that would do nothing good in this situation. I leaned forward. "I have a proposition." Oceanus raised an eyebrow; he was a titan, and he knew how to barter.

"What are the terms to this… deal?"

"As weak as your forces are from the Titan War, you could, theoretically, raise an army and hit the Olympians while they're schizophrenic and at war with Terra. I want to ask you to remain neutral." I waited to see what he wanted.

"And what do I get in return?"

"Anything you want, from me." I mentally groaned, this, I had a hunch, was going to be painful.

I could see him working it through his head, and I could tell that he liked the idea. That worried me.

"Very well, Nathan ro̱maïkós, I want you to marry one of my daughters."

Boy, did I walk into that one, I thought. I shuddered at the idea of staying down here. It was a nice place, to visit. I had, however put myself into this position by offering one favor. Now I needed to think like Andy, and try to talk my way out of it.

"So I choose one of your daughters and say 'well I like you, but I'm only marrying you as a favor to your dad.' What is their response going to be?"

I was glad that he hesitated, it gave me a chance to go forward with my plan. "Suppose that I go back to the ship, as your champion, and I protect your interests on shore. If the war goes well, you can claim you sent me to help. If I die, your image remains the same. But I plan to succeed; so you could gain some much needed prestige with the council by saying that you sent out a champion for their cause. Or you could kiss butts when you need something. Your call." I sat back and finished my glass of water. The glass, like me, was covered in a thin layer of air to prevent the seawater from mixing with my freshwater drink.

I could see that the idea was intriguing the Titan of the Sea. He had a far away look in his eyes, and after a couple seconds he refocused on me. "I agree, but you will still marry one of my daughters-"

"Eventually, yes, I will." Probably not, I added mentally. "But right now my ride is leaving this area, and once it makes it into the Mare Nostrum, I'm not getting to Greece or Rome."

Oceanus laughed, "Yes, you need to catch your ship, but before you do, could you tell me why every time you come to 'visit' I find you in my daughters' quarters? I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here," he added, "so if you tell me the reason is obvious…" I felt my face go white.

"I keep getting smuggled in." He looked at me, giving me a look that said 'how-stupid-do-you-think-I-am?' I sighed in frustration, "Okay, so I've been smuggled in the last two times, the first I was invited."

Oceanus tilted his head, like he was listening to something far away, before responding. "I see. Aristaeus!"

I leapt to my feet. "Give me my swords!" I hissed. Aristaeus was the only giant never defeated in the first Giant War, having been saved during the Gigantomachy by Terra by being transformed into a dung beetle. I had no desire to run into him without a weapon in my hand.

As I finished my sentence, I heard the doors open and turned around. In came the god. He was about four feet larger than he had been on Olympus, and his legs were serpents up to the knee now, as opposed to only his toes. He was now close to ten feet tall. His hair was brown and curly and fell to just beyond his shoulders. He was wearing a pinstriped business suit, with what appeared to be a carnation in the lapel. In one of his hands he held a spear, which he was using as a walking stick, and in the other what appeared to be a briefcase. Since he had become a god his power had increased, and he had sided with his brothers for this war.

"Oceanus! Give me my swords!"  
"Nathan, just si-"

"Nathan ro̱maïkós! So you meet me here to surrender? Good! I will cut you into pieces, and then consider it."

"Vade ad sepulcrum!" I looked around frantically for something to defend myself with, since I obviously wasn't going to get my swords back from Oceanus any time soon, when I was suddenly pushed back into my chair.

"Enough!" Yelled Oceanus. "I am bound by the Ancient laws of hospitality to keep both of you alive while you are under my roof; and I will not break those laws because my guests have a vendetta against each other! The fates punish those who break hospitality, and they can be quite creative when punishing immortals."

I looked at the titan, whose face resembled that of a wet cat, and over at Aristaeus, who was sitting in the chair which had previously been occupied by said titan. His hair had been blown all onto one side of his head, and he was trying to straighten it. He paused long enough to nod at me, before saying "I won't start anything, if he doesn't."

I snorted "I won't start anything, and if he tries to start something, I won't take part in it."

Oceanus' mouth twitched, like he was trying not to smile. "Well, now that you've made nice, allow me to tell you, Aristaeus, that I'm turning down Terra. I want nothing to do with my mother in her quest to destroy the gods. I shall remain neutral, like I did the last Gigantomachy. That and I refuse to help traitors."

Wow! I thought, Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I figured that I was going to have to defend my plan from Aristaeus soon. I couldn't have been more wrong.

"What? You refuse to help traitors? Ha!" Aristaeus was starting to laugh, "What was that little display last year? If that wasn't betrayal I don't know what was!"

I could see Oceanus's fingers tightening around the hilts of my swords, which he had pushed through his belt. "The difference was that I remained a titan and helped my brothers. I never became a god. Ever."

"Now, now, Oceanus, there's no reason to cause trouble. Why don't you give me my swords back? That way you won't kill him and cause problems for your household."

He threw me a hard look, "Take them before I slice him open and feed his guts to the sharks." He slammed the two swords into the sand at his feet up to the hilt. I swam over and sheathed them.

"Wha-? Oceanus, giving him his swords? You are signing my death warrant!" Aristaeus floated out of his chair and began to back away from me.

"Not so powerful now, are you?" I taunted him, then I looked at Oceanus, "Can I not kill him but just mortally wound him?"

"That is a form of harm, unfortunately. I need you to promise that you will return when this war is over, and that you will be my champion, should I require it."

I grinned. "Oh, I promise I'll be back," eventually, "and I will champion your cause."

I expected him to demand more, but all he said was, "Excellent, I will see you soon, Nathan, now leave."

With that, he threw a bolt of energy beneath my feet causing bubbles to erupt around me.

I heard him tell his guards, "Allow Aristreus to stay as long as he wishes, but once he leaves, notify me immediately." He mouthed to me before the bubbles obscured my vision, 'That's when the real fun begins,' and then all I could see was white.

**Thanks to my awesome new beta reader Sa' Kage, who insisted that my commas need to go there, and not here. That most of them were missing, and the other half needed work. And reminded me that I can spell if I work hard. We stayed up most of 2 nights finishing this. You're awesome! R&R. I was so excited that I got my first review, Thank you to kit kat moon for that!**

**Bye for now!**


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